The Irish standard., 1887-11-26

venture to predict when this day
would come, but he hoped to soc it.
Justif7iug Faith.
The true notion of faith is either lost
or5greatly obscured by the reading of
non Catholic literature. such as Prot
estant sermons, religious magazines Of
non Catholic origin and romances ila-
buec with false doctrines and morals.
Itioften happens that a popular preach
erfthus becomes an occasion Of Scan
dal, more especially to that class Of
people known as liberal Catholics. BY
exposure to these dangers, such people
get wrong ideas of belief and duty,
and soon confound human with divine
faith. There are and have been nany
Protestants and dissenters WHO lacked
the gift Of the faith that justihes,
namely, divine faith. The late Mr..
Beecher believed in the Trinity, be.
cause he saw IN nature analogies
which justities his belief Tie
faith t',at saves must be founded
on authority, it must be the
subsection of reason TO The revealed
word. The thing Beecher had may be
found i'll pagan; but it does not en-
able q man to attain supernatural
END. 1T a. pagan lives ZIP to his light,
he will attain state of natural happi-
pess, but hs cannot share with the
Christian believer in supernatural
blessedness, that is, he cannot see his
Maker face to face. To reach this state
Of beatifie0 bliss we mast believe
Christian doctrine--just precisely be-
cause God revealed it, and his divinely-
commissioned church, the Catholic
Church, teaches it. This is the faith
that is necessary in order to please God,
and the other thing that prevails is an
empty simuiacrunn, a shadow wanting
the substance, in {. word, merely hu.
man belief, Ehe reason man has for
believing whatever he does not know OF
his own knowledge as distinct from
hearsay. Men like Beech6r please the
people, because they preach that as ''all
roads lead To Rome" SO all forms Of
religions are equally safe means to sal
yatlon. In sense, this is true; il a
man is free from fault in his religious
belief and practice, ne is not to blame.
This is a rare thing, however. But, in
any other sense, it is altogether wrong.
The Divine Founder of the Christian
religion had perfect right to establish
one way for all men to follow, and ex-
cepting those who are inyincibly ig~
norant Of this way, all who obey their
own self-will in this matter are out of
the path of salvation. This is what the
Council OF Trent teaches by saying that
salvation is given to no one, who culpa-
bly, remains out OF the true Church.
Nevertheless, as the Church is COM
posed of a soul and body after the
likeness of human being, one may be.
long to the soul Of the Church, and yet
not belong to it's external regime. In
such a case, salvation is possible, But
if a man doubts bis situation, and fails
TO resolve this doubt, he ceases 10 be in
good faith, and can no longer be re-
garded as an innocent person. a man
is illogical who believes one article Of
revealed religion, and disbelieves an.
other. Why does he believe at all?
Simply On account OF the authority Of
God who makes the revelation. II he
believes, then, he must make no dis.
tjnctiOns, he must believe every re-
vealed doctrine, properly accredited to
him by his teacher, the Church, or he
completely lacks the gift of divine
faith. 1t is the teaching of the Church
that is wanted, not the teaching of
every self dispatched apostle, every
self-exalting ministerial quack. There
is a keen insight displayed by the Latin
historian when be says that an exalted
station, Jo.dogl that which is most just
will be found also to be most adyant-
ageous Still the motive is no higher
than that Of the saying that honesty is |
the best policy The true impulse
springa from the pure conscienc
Medelia, MINI, will probably have
water works: .lal rs
g IS :